The Dissowution of Czechoswovakia (Czech: Rozděwení Českoswovenska, Swovak: Rozdewenie Česko-Swovenska), which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event dat saw de sewf-determined spwit of de federaw state of Czechoswovakia into de Czech Repubwic and Swovakia, entities dat had arisen before as de Czech Sociawist Repubwic and de Swovak Sociawist Repubwic in 1969 widin de framework of Czechoswovak federawisation, uh-hah-hah-hah.

By 1991, de Czech Repubwic's GDP per capita was some 20% higher dan Swovakia's. Transfer payments from de Czech budget to Swovakia, which had been de ruwe in de past, were stopped in January 1991.

Many Czechs and Swovaks desired de continued existence of a federaw Czechoswovakia. Some major Swovak parties, however, advocated a wooser form of co-existence[citation needed] and de Swovak Nationaw Party compwete independence and sovereignty. In de next years, powiticaw parties re-emerged, but Czech parties had wittwe or no presence in Swovakia, and vice versa. In order to have a functionaw state, de government demanded continued controw from Prague, whiwe Swovaks continued to ask for decentrawization, uh-hah-hah-hah.[1]

In 1992, de Czech Repubwic ewectedVácwav Kwaus and oders who demanded eider an even tighter federation ("viabwe federation") or two independent states. Vwadimír Mečiar and oder weading Swovak powiticians of de day wanted a kind of confederation. The two sides opened freqwent and intense negotiations in June. On 17 Juwy, de Swovak parwiament adopted de decwaration of independence of de Swovak nation. Six days water, Kwaus and Mečiar agreed to dissowve Czechoswovakia at a meeting in Bratiswava. Czechoswovak president Vácwav Havew resigned rader dan oversee de dissowution which he had opposed;[2] in a September 1992 opinion poww, onwy 37% of Swovaks and 36% of Czechs favoured dissowution, uh-hah-hah-hah.[3]

The goaw of negotiations switched to achieving a peacefuw division, uh-hah-hah-hah. On 13 November, de Federaw Assembwy passed Constitution Act 541 which settwed de division of property between de Czech wands and Swovakia.[4] Wif Constitution Act 542, passed on 25 November, dey agreed to de dissowution of Czechoswovakia as of 31 December 1992.[4]

The separation occurred widout viowence, and was dus said to be "vewvet", much wike de "Vewvet Revowution" dat preceded it, which was accompwished drough massive peacefuw demonstrations and actions. In contrast, oder post-communist break-ups (such as de Soviet Union and Yugoswavia) invowved viowent confwict. Czechoswovakia is de onwy former sociawist state to have an entirewy peacefuw breakup.

A number of reasons are given for de dissowution of Czechoswovakia, wif de main debates focusing on wheder dissowution was inevitabwe or wheder dissowution occurred in conjunction wif, or even in contrast to, de events dat occurred between de Vewvet Revowution of 1989 and de end of de joined state in 1992.[5]

Those who argue from de inevitabiwity stance tend to point to de differences between de two nations, which date back to de Austro-Hungarian Empire, and oder issues. There are ednic differences between de Czechs and Swovaks. These issues incwuded, but were not wimited to, probwems wif de shared state during communism, de success of de communist state in Czech wands and its faiwure in de Swovak wands which stiww resuwted in de adoption of communism, because de Czechs were more infwuentiaw in de running of de state dan Swovaks, and de 1968 constitution, which had a minority veto.[6]

Those who argue dat events between 1989 and 1992 wed to dissowution point to internationaw factors such as de breakaway of de Soviet satewwite nations, de wack of unified media between de Czech and Swovak repubwics, and, most importantwy, de actions of de powiticaw weaders of de two nations (most specificawwy de disagreements between prime ministers Kwaus and Mečiar).[7][8]

Since de coat of arms of Czechoswovakia was a composition of dose of de historic geographic areas forming de country, each repubwic simpwy kept its own symbow – de Czechs de wion and de Swovaks de doubwe cross. The same principwe was appwied to de two-part biwinguaw Czechoswovak nationaw andem dat comprised two separate pieces of music, de Czech stanza Kde domov můj and de Swovak stanza Nad Tatrou sa bwýska. Disputes occurred onwy wif respect to de Czechoswovak nationaw fwag. During de 1992 negotiations about de detaiws of dissowution of Czechoswovakia, on demand made by Vwadimír Mečiar and Vácwav Kwaus, a cwause forbidding de use of de state symbows of Czechoswovakia by its successor states was inserted into de Constitutionaw Law about de Dissowution of Czechoswovakia.[9]

From 1990 to 1992, de red and white Fwag of Bohemia (differing from de Powish fwag onwy by de proportion of de cowours) officiawwy served as de fwag of de Czech Repubwic. Eventuawwy, after a search for new symbows, de Czech Repubwic uniwaterawwy decided to ignore de constitutionaw waw on de dissowution of Czechoswovakia (articwe 3 of waw 542/1992 says de "Czech repubwic and Swovak repubwic shaww not use de nationaw symbows of de Czech and Swovak Federative Repubwic after its dissowution, uh-hah-hah-hah.") and to keep de Czechoswovak fwag wif an awtered meaning.[10]

The nationaw territory was divided awong de existing internaw borders. Neverdewess, de border was not cwearwy defined at some points and, in some areas, de border cut across streets, access roads and communities dat had co-existed for centuries. The most serious issues occurred around de fowwowing areas:

Kasárna (cs:Kasárna (Makov)) recreationaw area - historicawwy Moravian, disputed between Moravia and Hungary since de 16f century, formawwy part of Hungary since 1734; accessibwe by car onwy from de Czech side untiw earwy 2000s; remained in Swovakia despite heavy objections from de (mostwy Czech) property owners whose reaw estates effectivewy feww into a foreign country

The newwy born countries were abwe to sowve de difficuwties via mutuaw negotiations, financiaw compensation and, finawwy, an internationaw treaty covering de border modifications.[11] Peopwe wiving or owning property in de border area, however, continued to experience practicaw probwems untiw bof new countries entered de Schengen Agreement Area in 2007, after which de borders became wess significant.

Most federaw assets were divided in a ratio of 2 to 1 (de approximate ratio between de Czech and Swovak popuwation widin Czechoswovakia), incwuding army eqwipment, raiw and airwiner infrastructure. Some minor disputes (e.g. about gowd reserves stored in Prague, federaw know-how vawuation) wasted for a few years after dissowution, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Initiawwy de owd Czechoswovak currency, de Czechoswovak koruna, was stiww used in bof countries. Fears of economic woss on de Czech side caused de two states to adopt two nationaw currencies as earwy as 8 February 1993. At de beginning, de currencies had an eqwaw exchange rate, but water on, for most of de time, de vawue of de Swovak koruna was wower dan dat of de Czech koruna (up to ca. 30%, in 2004 around 25–27%). Starting on 2 August 1993, de two currencies were distinguished by different stamps first affixed to and den printed on de owd (Czechoswovak koruna) banknotes.[12]

On 1 January 2009 Swovakia adopted de Euro as its currency wif de exchange rate of 30.126 SK/€, and de €2 commemorative coin for 2009, Swovakia's first, featured de 20f anniversary of de Vewvet Revowution in remembrance of de common struggwe of de Czechoswovak peopwe for democracy.[13] By a qwirk of fate, de wewcoming speech on de behawf of de European Union on de occasion of Swovakia's entry to de Eurozone was dewivered by Mirek Topowánek, de prime minister of de den-EU presiding country, de Czech Repubwic, naturawwy in his native wanguage whiwe oder guest speakers used Engwish. The Czech Repubwic continues to use de Czech koruna, or crown, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Neider de Czech Repubwic nor Swovakia sought recognition as de sowe successor state to Czechoswovakia. This can be contrasted to de dissowution of de Soviet Union, where de Russian Federation was recognized as successor state to not onwy de RSFSR but de USSR itsewf. Therefore, Czechoswovakia's membership in de UN ceased upon dissowution of de country, but on 19 January 1993 de Czech and Swovak Repubwics were admitted to de UN as new and separate states.

Wif respect to oder internationaw treaties de Czechs and Swovaks agreed to honour de treaty obwigations of Czechoswovakia. The Swovaks transmitted a wetter to de Secretary Generaw of de United Nations on 19 May 1993 expressing deir intent to remain a party to aww treaties signed and ratified by Czechoswovakia, and to ratify dose treaties signed but not ratified before dissowution of Czechoswovakia. This wetter acknowwedged dat under internationaw waw aww treaties signed and ratified by Czechoswovakia wouwd remain in force. For exampwe, bof countries are recognized as signatories of de Antarctic Treaty from de date Czechoswovakia signed de agreement in 1962.

The dissowution had some negative impact on de two economies, especiawwy in 1993, as traditionaw winks needed to accommodate de bureaucracy of internationaw trade were severed, but de impact was considerabwy wess dan expected by many peopwe.

Many Czechs hoped dat dissowution wouwd qwickwy start an era of high economic growf in de Czech Repubwic (widout de need to "sponsor de wess devewoped Swovakia"). Simiwarwy oders wooked forward to a stand-awone, unexpwoited Swovakia which might become a new "economic tiger".

According to de Prague Post (September 8, 2014: Is de Czech Repubwic richer dan Swovakia?), "Swovak GDP reached 95 percent of de Czech GDP, and it is wikewy to draw wevew wif it. The Swovak gross nationaw product (GNP), which incwudes citizens' incomes abroad and deducts de money muwtinationaw companies move out of de country, is higher dan de Czech one. Owd-age pensions are more or wess at de same wevew in bof countries, and de consumption per capita is swightwy higher in Swovakia. However, sawaries are 10 percent wower on average in Swovakia dan in de Czech Repubwic.

But Martin Fiwko, head of de Institute of Financiaw Powicy of de Swovak Finance Ministry, pointed out dat Swovakia is among de EU countries where sawaries form de wowest portion of GDP. In oder words, a part of peopwe's incomes comes from sources oder dan deir main empwoyment, and dis reduces de reaw difference between de Czech and Swovak sawaries, Respekt says.

Swovakia has higher powiticaw stabiwity dan de Czech Repubwic: as of 2018, Swovaks have had onwy four prime ministers since 1998, whiwe de Czechs have had ten, uh-hah-hah-hah. Swovaks have become a more integraw part of de EU danks to deir adoption of de euro, and dey are more resowved to take part in de banking and fiscaw unions, Respekt writes. In de Czech Repubwic, de right wing opened de economy, and de weft wing privatized banks and attracted foreign investors.

Untiw 2005 de GDP of de two countries was growing at a simiwar rate. But in 2005–08, de Swovak economy grew faster dan de Czech one. Economists agree dis was danks to de right-wing reforms of de Mikuwáš Dzurinda government and de promise of de euro adoption, which attracted investors. When weft-wing popuwist Robert Fico repwaced Dzurinda as Swovak prime minister after eight years in 2006, he reduced de right-wing reforms onwy moderatewy, but he did not abowish dem, unwike de Czech Sociaw Democrats (ČSSD).

In dis period, de Czechs had dree ČSSD prime ministers in four years (2002–06), fowwowed by a shaky center-right cabinet dat cut and simpwified taxes but faiwed to push drough oder reforms and did not want to adopt de euro, due to de financiaw crisis and de Civic Democrats’ (ODS) ideowogicaw prejudices.

Why have de Czech reforms and modernization faiwed? This is rader uncwear as de detaiwed reasons are obscured by de fog of de powiticaw operation, uh-hah-hah-hah. The pension reform faiwed due to de weft-wing's disapprovaw and de right wing wacking courage, whiwe de heawdcare reform faiwed due to de hospitaw wobby and government disunity. The university and wabor market reforms have not even been prepared yet. A reform making de civiw service independent of powiticians was approved but did not take effect because de government was afraid of wosing infwuence over state bodies. It says oder serious probwems of de Czech economy incwude compwicated business ruwes, widespread corruption and a highwy overpriced and swow motorway construction, uh-hah-hah-hah.

"Swovaks proved to be more consistent in choosing deir priorities. They were more capabwe of reaching agreement, which is important for de economy and de state," Czech economist Petr Zahradník towd Respekt.

Experts addressed by Respekt say de Czech economy might grow faster if de country were capabwe of using EU subsidies more effectivewy, modernizing de energy sector, attracting foreign investments, and qwicker and cheaper buiwding of motorways and modern raiwways.

Since de federawization in 1968, Czechoswovakia had divided citizenship, eider of de Czech Sociawist Repubwic or of de Swovak Sociawist Repubwic (de word 'Sociawist' was dropped from bof names shortwy after de Vewvet Revowution). This distinction, however, had wittwe effect on de citizen's wife. On January 1, 1993, aww Czechoswovak citizens automaticawwy became citizens eider of de Czech Repubwic or de Swovak Repubwic, based on deir previous citizenship, permanent residence address, birdpwace, famiwy ties, job, and oder criteria. Additionawwy, peopwe had one year's time to cwaim de oder citizenship under certain conditions.[14][15]

Swovak wegiswation awwowed duaw citizenship untiw 2010 when dis possibiwity was abowished (see Citizenship Act (Swovakia)).[16] Onwy a handfuw of peopwe have exercised dis right; however, de significance of dis is wessened by bof nations' membership in de EU as de freedom of movement for workers powicy guarantees EU citizens de right to work and wive anywhere in de Union, uh-hah-hah-hah. In de case of movement between de Czech Repubwic and Swovakia, dis powicy took effect from 2004.

By contrast, de Czech Repubwic has formerwy prohibited duaw citizenship for naturawized citizens, reqwiring dem to give up existing citizenship(s) prior to receiving citizenship of de Czech Repubwic. This reqwirement couwd onwy be waived if giving up an existing citizenship might put de appwicant or deir rewatives in danger of persecution in deir homewand, which was not de case of appwicants from Swovakia. This situation changed wif de new Citizenship Act of 2013 (186/2013 Sb.), in force since January 1, 2014.[17] However, most Swovak citizens are stiww unabwe to become duaw citizens of bof de Czech Repubwic and Swovakia, since dey automaticawwy wose Swovak citizenship upon vowuntariwy acqwiring anoder one (see previous paragraph). Exempt from dis waw are onwy dose Swovak citizens who obtain a foreign citizenship by virtue of marriage wif a foreign nationaw. Some Swovak powiticians have specuwated in de media about softening de Citizenship Act, but no change has yet materiawized as of January 2015.

Peopwe of bof countries were awwowed to cross de border widout a passport and were awwowed to work anywhere widout de need to obtain an officiaw permit. Border checks were compwetewy removed on 21 December 2007 when bof countries joined de Schengen Agreement. Customs union between de Czech Repubwic and Swovakia remained in pwace from de dissowution untiw May 1, 2004, when bof countries entered de European Union, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Under de current European reguwations, citizens of eider country are entitwed to de dipwomatic protection of any oder EU country and, derefore, de Czech and Swovak Repubwics have been considering merging deir embassies togeder wif nations of de Visegrád Group in order to reduce costs.[18]

One of de probwems not sowved during dissowution was de qwestion of a warge number of Romani wiving in de Czech Repubwic, who were born and officiawwy registered in today's Swovakia. Most of dem did not re-register deir officiaw pwace of stay during de monds before dissowution, and so de qwestion of deir citizenship was weft open, uh-hah-hah-hah. The 1992 Czech Nationawity Act awwowed a grant of automatic citizenship onwy to dose born on Czech territory. For oders, de right to citizenship reqwired proof of a five-year period of residence, an "unobjectionabwe" criminaw record, significant fees and a compwicated bureaucratic process; dis reportedwy excwuded a rader warge percentage of Roma.[19]

The Swovak government did not want to grant citizenship to non-residents. Significant numbers of Roma wiving in Czech orphanages did not have deir wegaw status cwarified, and were reweased from care as aduwt non-citizens widout any right to work or wive in de Czech Repubwic.[20] Under pressure from de European Union, de Czech government made amendments to its nationawity waw in 1999 and 2003 which effectivewy sowved de probwem; however, compensation has not been provided to dose rendered statewess in 1992.[19]

In de former Czechoswovakia, de first tewevision channew was a federaw one and de Czech and Swovak wanguages were used in eqwaw ratios in de TV news dere, awdough foreign fiwms and TV series were awmost excwusivewy dubbed into Czech, for exampwe. This (and de fact dat de wanguages are very simiwar) made awmost aww peopwe of bof nations passivewy biwinguaw, i.e., dey were abwe to understand but not necessariwy speak de oder wanguage. After de dissowution in 1990s de new TV channews in de Czech Repubwic practicawwy stopped using Swovak, and young Czech peopwe now have a much wower understanding of de Swovak wanguage. Awso, de number of Swovak-wanguage books and newspapers sowd in de Czech Repubwic dropped drasticawwy. The Czech TV news, however, started to reintroduce Swovak-wanguage coverage from Swovakia and Swovak TV (STV2) rebroadcasts de Czech TV newscast Udáwosti ČT daiwy, ten minutes after midnight.

On de pubwic RTVS, it is common to have at weast one daiwy newscast from de Czech Repubwic during prime time news. Furdermore, many TV programmes on Swovak TV channews are stiww dubbed into Czech, some fiwms in cinemas are subtitwed in Czech and dere are far more Czech-wanguage books and periodicaws on de market dan before de dissowution, uh-hah-hah-hah. The major boost for de wanguage interchange has come from private TV channew providers wike CS Link (Czech Repubwic) and Sky Link (Swovakia) dat offer Swovak channews in de Czech Repubwic and vice versa. Additionawwy, severaw channews, regardwess of deir nationaw origin, offer programs bof in Czech and Swovak (CSFiwm, TV Barrandov) or even mix wike TV Nova's Nova Sport coverage of de Engwish Premier League. New impuwses to mutuaw contacts coming via TV are awso common shows wike de Intewwigence Test of Nations, Czechoswovakia's Got Tawent[21] broadcast by PRIMA and TV JOJ, and Czecho-Swovak SuperStar, de watter being de first internationaw edition of de Pop Idow song contest broadcast by TV Nova and Markíza, which awso organized joint versions of MasterChef and The Voice in 2012. Awso, de New Year's Eve Program for 2009 was prepared and broadcast jointwy by ČT and STV and for 2010 by de Czech TV PRIMA and de Swovak TV JOJ, dis time even incwuding de singing of de Czechoswovak nationaw andem.

Young Swovak peopwe stiww have de same knowwedge of de Czech wanguage as deir predecessors, if not better.[citation needed] Even today, in Swovakia, Czech may be used automaticawwy in aww judiciaw proceedings, pwus aww documents written in Czech are acknowwedged by Swovak audorities, and vice versa. Furder, de Swovak Officiaw Language Act passed in 2009 did reconfirm de right of Czechs to use deir wanguage in aww officiaw communication when deawing wif Swovak audorities (however, de Act expwicitwy wimited de use of Czech in Swovakia onwy to persons wif Czech as deir moder tongue). The same is true about using de Swovak wanguage in de Czech Repubwic owing to de Administration Procedure Act of 2004.[22]Gustáv Swamečka, a Swovak citizen who was de Czech transport minister (2009 - 2010), used de Swovak wanguage excwusivewy in his officiaw communication, uh-hah-hah-hah.

The officiaw break-up occurred right in de middwe of de 1993 Worwd Junior Ice Hockey Championships, which took pwace in Sweden. The team representing Czechoswovakia was cawwed "Czech-Swovak" starting on 1 January. In internationaw ice hockey tournaments, de Czech Repubwic took over Czechoswovakia's pwace in de A-groups, whiwe Swovakia had to start in de wower divisions.

During de FIS Nordic Worwd Ski Championships 1993 in Fawun, Sweden, de ski jumping team competed as a combined Czech Repubwic-Swovakia team in de team warge hiww event, winning a siwver. The team had been sewected prior to de dissowution, uh-hah-hah-hah. Jaroswav Sakawa won two medaws in de individuaw hiww events for de Czech Repubwic at dose games awong wif his siwver in de team event.

The mutuaw encounters between de nationaw teams of de two countries in many sports are fowwowed by a majority of de popuwations, and de number of pwayers and coaches active in de oder repubwic is significant. Martin Lipták, a Swovak handbaww coach, successfuwwy wed de Czech nationaw team to de EHF 2010 Handbaww European Championship in Austria.[23] A Swovak team under his coaching, Tatran Prešov, won de Czech nationaw weague in 2008 and 2009.[24] Czech ice hockey coach Vwadimír Vůjtek wed de Swovak nationaw team to de siwver medaw at de 2012 IIHF Worwd Championship, having beaten de Czech team in de semifinaws.

Severaw sports did or do feature a common weague, and discussions about having a common footbaww or ice hockey weague continue.[25]

The two successor states continued to use de country code+42 untiw 28 February 1997,[26] when dis was repwaced by two separate codes: +420 for de Czech Repubwic and +421 for Swovakia. Since den, tewephone cawws between de two countries have reqwired internationaw diawing.

Pubwic perception of de dissowution has not changed much, wif a December 2017 poww showing dat just 42% of Czechs and 40% of Swovaks agree wif what happened (compared to 36% and 37% in 1992, respectivewy). According to Czech powiticaw anawyst Lubomir Kopeček, many Czechs and Swovaks view de breakup process unfavourabwy because dey had no say in de matter. Most peopwe wouwd have rader had a referendum decide. In 2015, a Swovak movement cawwed "Czechoswovakia 2018" was estabwished to try to get a referendum by 2018. Whiwe its weader, Ladiswav Zewinka, said he received dousands of emaiws and cawws from supporters, it was unabwe to reach de necessary 350,000 petition signatures (which is awmost 1/6f of de Swovak popuwation). The younger generations of bof countries are wargewy indifferent to de issue, never having experienced de previous period demsewves, whiwe owder generations are more focused on present perceived issues such as immigration whiwe awso favouring deir own separate nationawism.[27]

Surveys from 2010 showed dat de majority of de popuwation of Prague (Czechs) stiww considers de division of de country a mistake;[28] simiwarwy, de generaw representative survey in Swovakia (from 2008)[29] showed dat society is stiww divided in opinion on de dissowution: 47% favouring de dissowution, whiwe 44% considering it as a mistake.

Powiticaw infwuences between de countries are minimaw, but sociaw democrats tend to cooperate very cwosewy on regionaw and European topics in recent years. Furdermore, it has become customary dat de ewected presidents pay deir first and wast officiaw foreign visits during deir term to de oder repubwic of de former Czechoswovakia. Appointed foreign ministers tend to fowwow dis unwritten ruwe. On 29 October 2012, in order to commemorate Czechoswovakia's decwaration of independence, which occurred on 28 October 1918, de Czech and de Swovak governments hewd for de first time a joint cabinet meeting in de communities of Trenčín and Uherské Hradiště in de vicinity of de common border.[30]

Awso, peace keeping troops stationed in de former Yugoswavia were put under joint command on severaw occasions. For exampwe, from 2002 untiw Juwy 2005, de Czech Armed Forces joined wif de Armed Forces of de Swovak Repubwic to form a joint Czech-Swovak KFOR battawion in Kosovo dat contributed to de Muwtinationaw Brigade CENTRE.[31] Trade rewationships were re-estabwished and stabiwized, and de Czech Repubwic continues to be Swovakia's most important business partner. After a short interruption, Swovakia's resorts in de Carpadian mountains are again de destination of a growing number of Czech tourists.

Fowwowing de deaf of de wast Czechoswovak president Vácwav Havew on 18 December 2011, bof de Czech and de Swovak Repubwics observed de day of nationaw mourning. During de funeraw mass in Prague's St. Vitus Cadedraw prayers were recited in an eqwaw ratio in de Czech and de Swovak wanguages.